A crown or a bridge is a dental restoration that will cover entirely a tooth or a dental implant. Crowns are mainly needed to protect a tooth that was damaged by a big decay or caries, a fracture and even after a root canal treatment.

How are Crowns & Bridges done?

When a tooth gets broken or undergoes a root canal treatment, one of the solutions to restore it is to install a crown. The first step of this procedure is to remove a small amount of the tooth structure to make room for the crown. An impression is then taken and sent to our dental lab to custom build the crown. During the making phase, a temporary crown made of acrylic is placed to protect your tooth. The permanent crown will be shaped to look and feel natural, just like the rest of your teeth, and once ready it will be cemented on your tooth. Normally, it takes 2 appointments to finish a crown and 5 days between both visits.

Missing a tooth? What to do.

In order to replace a missing tooth, we can either do a bridge or place an implant. When placing a bridge, the main disadvantage is having to shave two healthy teeth and sometimes even removing their nerves. Since it’s hard to clean underneath a bridge, the bacteria will infiltrate and cause decay to the teeth supporting it, which will increase the risk of root fracture. Another disadvantage of doing a bridge is that the bone around the missing tooth will continue to wear off and deteriorate with time. Moreover, the Gum surrounding the bridge can recede with time, exposing the metal base of the bridge, leading to an unattractive smile.

On the other hand, placing a Dental Implant for a missing tooth will preserve the bone and keep the adjacent teeth intact. Moreover, a single implant is aesthetically nicer and easier to clean.

What are the different types of Crowns?

There are two major types of dental crowns:

Porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns or “conventional crowns” are made of an internal metal part covered by a layer of ceramic. Even though there is metal underneath the ceramic, we can still match the color of your adjacent teeth and make them look similar. However, if your gum recedes, which happens very often, the metal underlying the crown will become visible, leaving a dark line at the gum. These crowns are a good option for your back teeth.

All-ceramic or all-porcelain crowns are commonly used nowadays to provide you with the best aesthetic and natural color. These metal-free crowns are an excellent choice for front teeth but also for back ones, and are also recommended for those who suffer from metal allergies. Few years ago, a new material called “Zirconia” was developed to increase the strength of the full ceramic crowns. Those new crowns are more resistant than the porcelain-fused-to-metal crown and almost unbreakable. They provide also a great solution for clients with grinding problems.